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(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1.

O. D. ROGERS, AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

N0. 364,299. Patented June '7, 1887.

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. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 0. D ROGERS,

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES D. ROGERS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

f" SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,299, dated June'7, 1887.

Application filed December 12, 1855. Serial No. 185,423. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. RoGERs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticFire-Extinguishers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to apparatus for automatically extinguishing fires;and it consists, essentially, of a mounted fusible band, a weighted armconnected therewith, and a valve having its operatinglever supported bya pivoted arm adapted to be tripped by the action ofsaid weighted arm.

The invention further consists, in combina tion with said valve, levers,&c., of two pushbuttons or electric connections, each adapted to form aclosed circuit by means of the action of the valve-lever whenever thelatter is tripped or released, thereby sending out both local andgeneral fire-alarms, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth,and pointed out in the claims. 2

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, yetefficient means for quickly extinguishing incipient fires inmanufactories or dwellings, and at the same time to sound an alarm froma gong or bells electrically connected with the apparatus.

Inearrying out the invention a strip of metal is supported around theroom under tension overhead and firmly secured to -a weighted lever,(said strip, as before stated, being united at short distances bylow-fusing solder.) Now, in case the metallic strip becomes unsolderedor disconnected the tension is thereby at once released, and theweighted lever in falling trips the arm supporting the free end of thevalve-lever. The latter in turn drops to its limit, which movement opensthe valve and allows the water to flow into the distributing orsprinkler pipes and extinguish the fire.

For the purpose of illustrating my improved fire-extinguishing apparatusI have prepared the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which-Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a front elevation of the device completeas in use, a portion of the hub of the weighted lever be ing broken awayto show the cam, which is adapted to engage the pivoted arm and re leasethe weighted valve-lever whenever the metallic strip is unsoldered, thewhole being shown asmounted on a frame or plate, which is secured to awall, the buttons, which form a part of the electric circuits,corresponding to the open position. Fig. 2 is atop view of the same.Fig. 3 is a reduced side view, showing the metal. strip disconnected,the valvelever dropped to its limit, and the electric circuits closed,whereby the water is adapted to flow into the distributing-pipes,

and at the same time, by means of the eleenected with an electriccircuit, which in turn is connected with a fire-alarm station adapted tosend out a general firealarm.

The following is a more detailed description of my improvements,hereinafter claimed.

A, again referring to the drawings, designates a base or plate to whichthe several parts comprising the apparatus are attached. Sccured to saidplate is an inverted valve, V, of ordinary construction, having aninlet-tube, m, and outlet a, the stem 2) of the valve be ing connectedwit-h the weighted lever B, which is fulcrumed at I whereby the lever infalling causes the said valve to open, and thus allow the water to flowfreely into the outlet-tube n, and thence to the distributing orsprinkling tubes a. (See Fig. 4.)

ICO

free end of the arm D at the same time being secured to astrip of metal,H, which is supported by means of rolls H and the corner segment-leversor guides h as fully shown in Fig. 4. Said strip H is composed of aseries of shorter pieces, which are united at h by means of solderfusible at comparatively lowheated temperatures. One end of the strip His made fast to the building at h, and the other end, as before stated,secured to the lever-arm D, all as clearly shown.

E indicates an arm pivoted at c to said plate A. The lower or freeend,e,of the arm is provided with a hook or projection upon which thefree end of the valve-lever Bis adapted to rest, as shown in Fig. 1.

To the center or hub portion of the said two arm lever D D is formed ashort arm or cam, O, which is adapted to engage the inner face of thesaid arm E.

P P designate push-buttons, which, by means of conducting-wires s s,areelectricall y connected with bells or gongs adapted to sound local andgeneral firealarms, respectively, said alarms being automaticallyproduced by means of dogs K K, adjustably secured to the lever B.

It is obvious that whenever the valve-lever is released the weight W"thereof in falling forcibly opens or unseats the valve V by means of thestem 2) connected therewith. The back surface of the said dogs K K atthe same time coming in contact with the buttons P P,causes the lattereach to. close its respective circuit and produce the alarms, as beforestated.

The apparatus having been first arranged and connected substantially asshown in Figs. 1 and 4, the operation of the device upon the breakingout of a fire in any part of the room provided with said extinguisher,asin a building, A, would be practically as follows: The metallicsoldered strip H, however, is under- .stood to be mounted overhead insuitable sup ports, the strip being under considerable tension andfirmly secured at or near one end thereof to the end 6 of the lever-armD. Now,as ust stated, upon the breaking out of a fire and the consequentrise of temperature in the room,

one or more of thejoints it become unsoldered, thereby permitting theweighted arm D to move in the arrow-direction and causing the cam O toengage with and force the free end of the arm E from its engagement withthe weighted valve-lever B, the latter thereby instantly falling to itslimit,and at the same time opening the valve V and allowing the waterfrom a tank or other suitable source to flow from theinlet-pipe m intothe pipe n and thence to the distributing-pipes a, from whence, by meansof the perforations n, the water escapes to the floor below andextinguishes the fire. During this time also the dogs K K engage thebuttons P P, respectively, thereby closing the electric circuits andproducing a local alarm at the bell G, and a, general alarm is sent outfrom the station or bell G Fig. 5, R be ing a battery located in thelocal circuit, and

Itiserv'ing a similar office for the general cir- Cu It is evident thatthe relative arrangement of the buttons P P may be changed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inveution-=as, for example, the buttonP, by means of the action of the lever B and its dogs, may be pressedand the pressure removed before the dog K engages its button P, or viceversa. The lever also may be provided with a stop, by means of which thesaid deg K will rest upon the button P and thereby produce a prolongedor continuous local alarm.

It is obvious, also, that the connections may be arranged so as toproduce open electric circuits by means of the dogs and falling lever B.

It is further evident that many changes in minor details of constructionand also in the relative arrangement of the several parts of theapparatus may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Therefore I do not limit myself to the exact constructionshown and described.

I am aware that automatic fire-extinguishers adapted to operate by meansof the fusing of solder at low temperatures have been made and used longprior to my present invention, and hence I do not broadly claim suchdevice; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination of a fusible band, a pivotally-mounted weighted leversecured to said band, a cam or dog connected to and moving with ,theweighted lever, a suitably mounted valve having a weighted arm connectedtherewith, and the pivoted rod E, engaging the free end of the weightedarm, the whole constructed, arranged, and operating substantially asshown and hereinbefore set forth.

2. Thecombination,withapivotally-1nounted two'arm weightcdlevcr, D D,having the fusible metallic baudII secured thereto, and the cam C,forming a part of the levers hub, of the valve V, having the weightedarm B connected therewith, and the loosely-mounted rod E, supporting theouter or free end of the arm B, all constructed and arranged whereby thesevering of the band H releases the lever D D, which in falling rotatesthe cam O, thereby violently forcing the rod E from its engagement withthe valve-arm B, substantially as shown and described.

3. The automatic fire-extinguishing apparatus hereinbefore described,consisting of the fusible band I-I, double-arm lever D D, at tached tosaid band, the link E, cam G, valve V, and weighted valve-lever B,having dogs K K adjustably mounted thereon, in combination with buttonsP P, electrically connected with local and general fire-alarms, respectively, the whole constructed, arranged, and operating substantiallyas shown and set forth.

4.. The combination, with the fusible metallie band H, the Weightedlever D D, havstantially as shown, and for the purpose set IO ing a,cam, U, the pivoted supporting-rod E, forth. and valve V, of the pivotedand weighted In testimony whereof I have afifixed niysigvalve-lever B,having a dog,1 K, adjnstably nature in presence of two witnesses.

5 mounted thereon, and an eectrieally-connected circuit provided with apush-button, CHARLES ROGERS P, whereby the valve-lever in falling causes\Vitnesses: the rearsurface of the dog to engage said but- WM. R.DUTEMPLE, ton and automatically close the circuit, sub- GEO. H.REMINGTON.

